


We Have A Purpose, And The Gravity

by a7r0p0s



Series: You're A Hurricane [2]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-03
Updated: 2013-11-03
Packaged: 2017-12-31 08:29:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1029530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a7r0p0s/pseuds/a7r0p0s
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chuck decides it's time to stop fighting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Have A Purpose, And The Gravity

**Author's Note:**

> AU where Chuck breaks his arm instead of Herc and Herc has to pilot with Stacker in the end. Everything else is the same, though.  
> 

The first time they sleep together, they do precisely that.

They sleep.

Chuck has a broken hand and has reached a level of mental and physical exhaustion that he's pretty sure he previously didn't even know existed, and Raleigh has cuts and bruises and scrapes on all over his face and on his back from Chuck's violent breakdown in the hall. All is forgiven after a long talk and several lengthy explanations, and they make their way to see someone with an actual medical background to get their wounds dressed because Raleigh tells chuck that, while it's true that Mako is pretty handy and smart, he's pretty sure she doesn't have the appropriate medical training and setting his hand wrong could ruin it forever.

Wounds properly nursed, they started to walk back to their rooms, and the split came in the hallway when Raleigh would turn to go to his bed and Chuck would keep going down the main hall to reach his, but it finally hit them that they weren't going to the same place. They both hesitated and looked toward each other. No words were exchanged, but Raleigh offered a small and hopeful smile as he extended a hand. He was offering, not obligating. They had all the time in the world now, he didn't want to fuck things up by rushing. Chuck glanced at it, his slight nervousness making him look, for once, as young as he really was.

Raleigh could forget, sometimes, exactly how young Chuck is. You don't hear 'best pilot in the PPDC' or 'highest kaiju kill count of any pilot team' and think about a kid who was barely legal to drink in the U.S.

His thoughts were refocused from this tangent soon enough, as he felt Chuck's rough palm slide against his. Raleigh's smile widened as he tightened his grip and led Chuck into his room. When the door closed, Chuck turned around and reached out with a pained look on his face. He gingerly touched his fingertips to the angry red evidence of his outburst and let his forehead fall onto Raleigh's shoulder with a heavy sigh.

“I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I'm so fucked up. I'm sorry I hurt you.” He could feel the tears welling up again, and he fought to keep them in check this time.

Raleigh made a shushing sound and pushed Chuck back just enough to look him in the face.

“You,” he began with a small smirk, “are definitely quite a little shit.” He reached up and used his thumb to sweep away a tear that had broken free and had escaped down Chuck's cheek. “But you are not fucked up. You are not broken.” Chuck stared, a tear escaping from the other eye. He suddenly surged forward, his kiss taking Raleigh by surprise and forcing them back a step.

Chuck pulled away suddenly when he tasted blood.

“Fuck. Your lip. God dammit, I'm sorry.”

Raleigh brushed a thumb across his bottom lip, a splash of red staining it when it pulled away, evidence of his freshly split lip that had only recently stopped bleeding. The kiss _had_ hurt. Kind of a lot actually. He surged back for another. When he finally pulled away, his lip had fully broken open again and he could taste the metallic tang of it.

“Worth it.” He chuckled as he did his best to wipe the blood stain off of Chuck's lip that mirrored the wound on his own. Chuck couldn't help his grin. And there it was, that smile. Raleigh very quickly realized he was beginning to find purpose in that smile.

“Go clean up your face, has-been. I don't need you bleeding all over me.”

“Fine.” Raleigh kissed his cheek one more time, just to be a dick about it, before turning and heading off toward the bathroom and cleaning up his lip.

Bleeding stopped for now, he returned to find Chuck puzzling over the bed.

“Um... Where...?” He turned, looking confused. Raleigh shrugged.

“Well, someone kind of has my blanket and pillow, so I've been making due without for a while.”

“You haven't had a blanket for _three bloody weeks_? Are you fucking serious?”

“Well I didn't expect you to use them so much, and I didn't feel like going to tell you I needed them back.” The 'and risking upsetting you' was left unsaid, but Chuck could tell it was there. He couldn't even be mad about that, though. It was a fair point.

“They were... soft.” Raleigh raised an eyebrow “And... they smelled nice. They helped me sleep. I didn't think you only fucking brought one bloody blanket.”

Raleigh rolled his eyes.

“Well, get undressed or... stay dressed or whatever you wanna do. I'm gonna go get our blanket and pillows from your room so we don't have to have a completely bare bed. I'll be back.” He turned and slipped out the door as quietly as he could, leaving Chuck standing alone in the middle of the room.

He sat down on the bed, looking around. The primary feature in the room seemed to be a small collection of photos, most of which featured Yancy. The photos were worn with age and with repeated handling. These photos were precious to the man who held them.

It never stops hurting, then, does it? You just learn to live with the pain.

He kicked off his boots, pulled off his pants and socks, and had his shirt over his head when the door opened and Raleigh re-entered the room. Raleigh stopped momentarily and quickly looked Chuck up and down, obviously fighting a grin as a result. Chuck just puffed out his chest a little more and put his hands on his hips, face straight but obviously hiding a smirk.

Raleigh was still smiling, but a curious tilt hit his features.

“Are those my underwear?”

Chuck's cheeks turned rosy.

“I... wasn't wearing any before. And I didn't know if...” He vaguely gestured to the bed where Raleigh was currently setting the pillows (plural, he had grabbed chuck's pillow as well as his own) and spreading the blanket. Raleigh shrugged as he shed his own clothing, down to his boxer briefs, then slipped under the covers, crossing his arms behind his head.

“I didn't say I cared. You can take whatever you want from my drawers, actually. Just make sure you bring at least most of it back. I need to wear _something,_ otherwise I'd be naked all the time, and I'm pretty sure no one wants that.”

Chuck just slid into bed next to Raleigh, face appearing to be deep in contemplation for a moment.

“I think could live with it.”


End file.
